Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
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IVR refers to Interactive
Voice Response, a technology that allows businesses to automate interaction
with telephone callers. IVR systems are increasingly common as business look
for ways to reduce customer support costs, improve customer satisfaction,
and automate business processes. IVR, as a technology, has been very
successful in accomplishing many of these tasks.
Early IVR systems relied
simply upon pre-recorded voice prompts, with consumers keying through menus
to reach the option they are looking for. Although a way to automate call
response, it did have shortcomings, including occasional user frustration.
Newer IVR systems have improved to offer voice response from consumers, via
voice recognition. Voice response IVR systems have been proven to speed
customer interaction in most cases, and reduce frustration with manually
keying through a menu structure.
If your business is
considering adding or upgrading an IVR system, it is highly recommended that
you research a variety of IVR vendors. IVR systems differ by vendor, using
different hardware and software both. Finding an IVR solution that is cost
effective, as well as easy to setup and maintain, as well as one that can
integrate easily with other systems (such as data retrieval) is generally a
top priority for all businesses considering IVR.
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